Catheter securement device

ABSTRACT

A medical article securement device holds a medical article in position upon the body of a patient and can be used to inhibit lateral and longitudinal motion of the medical article. The securement device includes a retainer with a base and at least one post, and at least one cap. The cap is attached to the base of the retainer by a flexible connection, and can be placed into either a covered or uncovered configuration with respect to the post. The cap includes a recess which can receive a protrusion at the end of the post of the retainer. By placing the post through an appropriate opening in the medical article to be retained and then securing the medical article to the retainer by placing the cap into the covered position over the post, longitudinal and lateral motion of the medical article is inhibited.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. application patentSer. No. 10/677,757, filed Oct. 1, 2003, which claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/415,728, filed on Oct. 1, 2002, all of which are hereby expresslyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a securement device for use with medicalarticles. More specifically, this invention relates to an anchoringsystem which releasably retains a catheter or other medical article inposition upon a patient.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is common in the treatment of patients to utilize catheters tointroduce fluids and medications directly into the patient or towithdraw fluids from the patient. Often, it becomes desirable tomaintain such catheterization over an extended period of time during thetreatment of a patient. In order to keep the catheter or other medicalline properly positioned for the duration of treatment, the catheter ormedical line may be secured to the patient in a variety of ways. Onecommon way of securing a catheter is by taping the catheter or medicalline to the patient.

Securing a catheter with tape upon the patient traditionally has certaindrawbacks. The use of tape at the insertion site may retain dirt orother contaminant particles, potentially leading to infection of thepatient. Additionally, removal of taped dressings may itself causeundesired motion of the catheter upon the patient.

Taped dressings also require periodic changes. The frequent, oftendaily, removal and reapplication of adhesive tape to the skin of thepatient can excoriate the skin in the area around the dressing. Suchrepeated applications of tape over the catheter or medical line mayadditionally lead to the build up of adhesive residue on the outersurface of the catheter or medical line. This residue can result incontaminants adhering to the catheter itself, increasing the likelihoodof infection of the insertion site. This residue may also make thecatheter or medical line stickier and more difficult to handle formedical attendants.

An alternative to taped dressings is to provide a flexible clamp withwinged extensions that are sutured to the patient's skin. In someapplications, the winged extensions are integrally formed with catheter.In other applications, the flexible clamp is covered by a rigid fitting,which receives the catheter/clamp combination in a friction-fit manner.The rigid fitting and flexible clamp are formed with lateral, alignedholes, which allow the combination to be sutured to the patient's skin.Although suturing securely attaches the catheter to the patient, it isobviously painful and uncomfortable for the patient. These devices arealso time consuming and inconvenient to secure, pose the risk ofneedle-stick to the healthcare worker, and risk suture-site infection tothe patient.

For these reasons, a need exists for an improved way to secure cathetersand medical lines to patients where the catheter may remain in placeover an extended period of time and may be easily released from thesecurement device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the systems and techniques describedherein, a releasable medical line securement device is provided. Thesecurement device includes a retainer having a base and an adhesivelayer. The retainer also includes at least one post disposed upon thebase of the retainer and extending away from a side of the base of theretainer opposite the side of the base of the retainer to which theadhesive layer is disposed. The post comprises a shaft and at least oneprotrusion disposed near the end of the shaft away from the base of theretainer.

In accordance with another aspect of the device, the retainer describedabove also includes at least one cap comprising a recess configured toreceive the protrusion of the post. The cap is attached to the base ofthe retainer by a flexible connection such that the cap has at least twoconfigurations including: a covered configuration in which theprotrusion is disposed within the recess of the cap; and an uncoveredconfiguration in which the protrusion is not disposed within the recessof the cap.

In accordance with a further aspect of the device, the retainer maycomprise a second post and a second cap.

In accordance with another aspect of the device, the protrusion of theat least one post is held within the recess of the at least one cap inthe covered configuration by a snap-fit arrangement between theprotrusion and the cap.

In accordance with a different aspect of the systems and techniquesdiscussed herein, a releasable medical article securement system isprovided. The system comprises a medical article having an elongatedbody and at least one hole disposed to a lateral side of the elongatedbody, and a retainer. The retainer has a base and at least one postdisposed upon the base of the retainer and extending away from the base.The post comprises a shaft and at a head disposed near the end of theshaft. The retainer also includes and at least one cap comprising arecess configured to receive the head of the at least one post. The capis attached to the base of the retainer by a flexible connection, andhas at least two configurations including a covered configuration inwhich the head of the post is disposed within the recess of the cap, andan uncovered configuration in which the head of the post is not disposedwithin the recess of the cap.

In accordance with one aspect of operation of the systems describedherein, the at least one post of the retainer can be inserted throughthe hole of the medical article when the cap associated with the post isin the uncovered configuration, and the cap is placed into the coveredconfiguration when the post is inserted through the hole of the medicalarticle.

Another aspect of a technique in accordance with the disclosure of themedical devices described herein includes a technique for releasablysecuring a medical article to a patient. The method includes providing amedical article having an elongated body and at least one hole disposedto a lateral side of the elongated body, and providing an appropriateretainer. The cap of the retainer may then be placed in the uncoveredconfiguration. The medical article can then be placed onto the retainersuch that the post of the retainer is inserted through the hole of themedical article, and the cap of the retainer placed into the coveredconfiguration.

For purposes of summarizing, certain aspects, advantages and novelfeatures have been described herein. It is to be understood that notnecessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with anyparticular embodiment. Thus, the systems described may be embodied orcarried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage orgroup of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otheradvantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features will now be described withreference to the drawings of the present securement system. The shownembodiments are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the invention.The drawings contain the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of a securement device inaccordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the anchor pad of the securement device of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the anchor pad of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the base of the securement device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the base of the securement device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the base of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6A is a detail section view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6B is a detail view of region B of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a detail top view of the base of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6D is a detail front view of the post of the base of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6E is a detail of the cap of the base of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the securement device of FIG. 1 shownwith the caps in the closed position and the exemplary catheterpositioned in and retained by the retainer.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the base of the securement device of FIG. 1 andshows the protrusion extending to the same extent around thecircumference of each post.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are the embodiments of an improved device forreleasably securing medical articles such as catheters to a patient. Thedevice includes an anchor pad for attaching the device to the skin of apatient. The device also includes a base disposed upon the anchor padwhich includes retaining elements that operate to attach the device to amedical article, or a fitting of a medical article. Note that in someapplications a fitting is itself releasably attached to a medicalarticle and in other applications the fitting is integrally formed withthe medical article. The retaining elements generally inhibit relativemovement between the medical article and the securement device in atleast one degree of freedom. The securement device also includes capsattached to the base by flexible couplings such as leashes.

The following description and Figures describing various preferredembodiments are made to demonstrate various configurations of possiblesystems in accordance with the current invention. The embodimentsillustrated can be used with a variety of medical devices, includingvarious catheters that include wings with suture holes. One particularsuch catheter is the Arrow MAC™ catheter 500 (See FIG. 7) from ArrowInternational of Reading, Pa. This catheter 500 includes a catheter body510 which provides a pair of lateral wings 520, 530, each of whichincludes a suture hole 540, 550 disposed to a lateral side of theelongated catheter lumens.

The applicability of the securement device described herein with anyparticular catheter, or the use of such a catheter in the description isnot intended to limit the disclosed concepts to the specifiedembodiments or to usage with only those medical articles. In addition,various systems will be described in the context of an exemplarysecurement device incorporating the described systems and techniques.Those of skill in the art will recognize that the techniques describedare neither limited to any particular type of securement device, nor tothe securement of any particular type of medical article for everydescribed aspect herein.

To assist in the description of these components of the anchoring system(see FIG. 1), the following coordinate terms are used. A “longitudinalaxis” is generally parallel to the portion of the connector fitting orother medical article retained by the securement system, as well asparallel to the axis of a retained medical line. A “lateral axis” isnormal to the longitudinal axis and is generally parallel to the planeof an anchor pad, as seen in FIG. 1. A “transverse axis” extends normalto both the longitudinal and lateral axes (see FIG. 1A). In addition, asused herein, “the longitudinal direction” refers to a directionsubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; “the lateral direction”refers to a direction substantially parallel to the lateral axis; and“the transverse direction” refers to a direction substantially parallelto the transverse axis. The term “axial” as used herein refers to theaxis of a catheter or the elongated portion of another retained medicalarticle, and therefore is substantially synonymous with the term“longitudinal” as used herein. Also, the terms “proximal” and “distal”,which are used to describe the present anchoring system, are usedconsistently with the description of the exemplary applications. Thus,proximal and distal are used in reference to the center of the patient'sbody. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” and the like, whichalso are used to describe the present anchoring system, are used inreference to the illustrated orientation of the embodiment, and areillustrated on the enclosed FIGURES.

To facilitate a complete understanding of the invention, the remainderof the detailed description describes the invention with reference tothe Figures, wherein like elements are referenced with like numeralsthroughout.

Overview

Prior to describing particular embodiments of the illustrated medicalline securement systems, a brief overview explaining the majorcomponents of the system and its use will be presented. As shown by theexemplary medical line securement system of FIG. 1, the system cancomprise a securement device 100 in two main components: an anchor pad110 and a retainer 120. As noted above and discussed in greater detailbelow, the securement device 100 can form a component of acatheterization system that also includes one or more medical articles,such as connector fittings, catheter adaptors, fluid supply lines, orother articles suitable for securement via the anchor pad 110 andretainer 120.

The retainer 120 is mounted upon the anchor pad 110 and the anchor padis secured to the skin of a patient, generally by an adhesive disposedupon the bottom surface of the pad. The retainer is configured toreceive a medical article and secure it in position. An exemplaryretainer 120, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, can comprise severalsub-components, including a base 130, one or more posts 140, and one ormore caps 150 corresponding to the posts 140. The caps are connected tothe base 130 of the retainer by a leash 160 or other connection. Thereleasable engagement of a medical article is achieved, at least inpart, by cooperation between the posts 140 and the caps 150. Because thecaps 150 may be released from the posts 140 after the medical article issecured, it is possible for the medical article to be removed from thesecurement device 100 for any necessary purpose. This can includepurposes such as replacing the securement device, replacing the medicalline, or moving the patient. This removal of the medical article fromthe securement device can be accomplished without removing the devicefrom the patient if desired.

As is illustrated in FIG. 7, the retainer 120 can be used to hold amedical article 500 by placing the medical article 500 onto the base 130of the retainer 120 in such a way that the posts 140 extend through oneor more holes 540, 550 of the medical article. The caps 150 may then besecured in a covered position over the top of the posts 140 in order toprevent inadvertent disengagement between the medical article 500 andthe retainer 120. Further examples will be provided in the descriptionwhich follows.

When the caps 150 are placed in position over the posts 140 into thecovered configuration, a medical article is inhibited from movingsubstantially in either the lateral or longitudinal directions by theinteraction between the posts and the holes of the medical article.

The securement device 100 also desirably releasably engages the medicalarticle. This allows the securement device to be disengaged from themedical article without removing the medical article from the patientfor any of a variety of known purposes. For instance, the healthcareprovider may wish to remove the securement device in order to change theanchor pad 110 or to clean the insertion site without removing thecatheter and its associated fitting from the patient. In situationswhere a catheter is in position in the patient for an extended period oftime, it is advantageous to periodically change the securement device inorder to maintain the best positional securement of the catheter. Forthese purposes, it is desirable that the disengagement of the medicalarticle from the securement device can be accomplished without removingthe medical article from the patient.

Anchor Pad

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an anchor pad 110 preferably comprises alaminate structure with an upper foam layer (e.g., closed-cellpolyethylene foam), and a lower adhesive layer. The lower adhesive layerconstitutes the lower surface of the anchor pad 110. The lower surfacepreferably is a medical-grade adhesive and can be either diaphoretic ornondiaphoretic, depending upon the particular application. Such foamwith an adhesive layer is available commercially from Avery Dennison ofPainsville, Ohio. The anchor pad can include holes 170 as illustrated(see FIG. 1), or can be formed without such holes. These holes can beused to suture the pad 110 to the skin of the patient in addition to, oras an alternative to, using the adhesive to attach the pad to the skinof a patient.

As a further alternative, a hydrocolloid adhesive can advantageously beused upon the anchor pad for attaching the anchor pad to the skin of thepatient. The hydrocolloid adhesive has less of a tendency to excoriatethe skin of a patient when removed. This can be particularly importantfor patients whose skin is more sensitive or fragile, such as those witha collagen deficiency. Other alternative devices may include the use ofmore than one type of adhesive on different portions of the lowersurface of the anchor pad. This may be of particular use when the areaof the anchor pad below the base 130 of the retainer 120 requiresgreater securement to the patient's skin.

As shown in FIG. 3, a surface of the upper foam layer constitutes anupper surface 180 of the anchor pad 110. The upper surface can beroughened by corona-treating the foam with a low electric charge. Theroughened or porous upper surface can improve the quality of theadhesive attachment between the base 130 and the anchor pad 110. In thealternative, the flexible anchor pad can comprise a medical-gradeadhesive lower layer, an inner foam layer and an upper paper or otherwoven or nonwoven cloth layer.

A removable paper or plastic release liner 200 preferably covers theadhesive lower surface before use. This is shown most clearly in FIG. 3.The liner 200 preferably resists tearing and preferably is divided intoa plurality of pieces to ease attachment of the pad to a patient's skin.In the illustrated embodiment, the liner 200 is split along a centerline 210 of the flexible anchor pad 110 in order to expose only half ofthe adhesive lower surface at one time.

The liner length, as measured in the lateral direction, extends beyondthe center line of the anchor pad and is folded over, or back onto theliner itself. This folded over portion defines a pull tab 220 tofacilitate removal of the liner 200 from the adhesive lower surface ofthe pad 110. A medical attendant uses the pull tab 220 by grasping andpulling on it so that the liner 200 is separated from the lower surface.The pull tab 220 overcomes any requirement that the medical attendantpick at a corner, edge or other segment of the liner 200 in order toseparate the liner from the adhesive layer. The pull tab of course canbe designed in a variety of configurations. For example, the pull tabneed not be located along a center line of the anchor pad; rather, thepull tab can be located along any line of the anchor pad in order toease the application of the anchor pad onto the patient's skin at aspecific site. For example, an area of a patient's skin with an abruptbend, such as at a joint, can require that the pull tab be alignedtoward one of the lateral ends of the anchor pad rather than along thecenter line.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, the anchor pad 110 is generallyconfigured so as to provide for a longitudinally narrower region nearthe lateral center of the pad, and regions of greater longitudinal sizeto each lateral side. This results in the center of the anchor pad 110near the base 130 being more narrow, and the lateral sides of the anchorpad having more contact area. This can provide greater stability andadhesion to a patient's skin.

Base

The retainer 120 of the securement device 100 also includes a base 130.The base 130 is disposed upon the upper surface 180 of the anchor pad110. The base 130 can comprise a substantially rigid member which isattached to the upper surface 180 of the anchor pad 110 by any of avariety of techniques. These can include the use of adhesives,ultrasonic welding, or any other technique known in the art. The base130 preferably has sufficient lateral extent to provide a stable surfacefor attachment to the anchor pad, and also to provide a receiving areaof sufficient space for a catheter or other medical article to rest uponthe base when secured. It may be advantageous for this receiving area toprovide a surface large enough to support the medical article in such away that the retainer 120 cannot act as a fulcrum about which themedical article can bend or crimp.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, the base 130 preferably takesthe form of a flat plate or platform with a lower surface 300 that isbonded to the upper surface 180 of the adhesive pad 110. The base 130can also include an upper surface 310, upon which retaining elements forinteracting with some feature of the medical article to be retained canbe disposed. This upper surface 310 in some applications can be flat, asshown in the figures. In other applications, the upper surface of thebase can have a shape which is configured to cooperate with the shape ofthe retained medical article. For instance, if the medical article to beretained has a rounded shape, the upper surface of the base can have acorresponding rounded shape in order to more completely support theretained medical article.

In additional embodiments of the securement device (not illustrated),the base of the retainer can include a channel or other retainingstructure in addition to that described above. Such retaining structurecan be used to assist in properly positioning the medical article as itis held upon the retainer 120.

As shown in FIG. 6, these retaining elements can comprise a pair ofposts 140 in the illustrated securement device 100. These posts extendupwardly, away from the upper surface 310 of the base 130. Theseretaining elements can be used to secure the medical article to the base130 either directly or by way of a fitting (e.g., a box clamp or softwing clamp). The posts can be inserted through appropriate openings(e.g., a hole or recess) in the fitting or in the medical article inorder to secure the medical article upon the base. These openings caninclude suture holes or recesses in a fitting to which the medicalarticle is attached. By placing the posts 140 through an opening (e.g.,a hole) on the medical article, the securement device 100 inhibitsmovement of a catheter or other medical article at least in thelongitudinal and lateral directions.

Note that for securement of catheters or medical articles of certaindesigns, it can be preferable to dispose more than two posts upon thebase 130 of the device 100. For example, if a fitting with four openingswere to be secured, it might be advantageous to present four postsextending from the base 130 at positions corresponding to each of theopenings of the medical article fitting. In addition, the base 130 canbe configured with fewer posts than the number of openings, as long asone or more posts are configured to interact with one or more of theavailable openings of the medical article or fitting.

As shown in FIG. 6, each post 140 can extend upwardly away from the base130 of the retainer 120 and the body of the patient. Each post 140includes a shank or shaft 350, attached to and extending upwardly fromthe upper surface 310 of the base 130 (see FIG. 6D). The posts 140 canhave a variety of lengths and a variety of distances between them,depending upon the particular application and the particular fitting ormedical article which they are to secure. The posts 140 are laterallyspaced at least wide enough to accommodate the medical line or fittingto be secured. Preferably, the posts are spaced apart by a distancebetween 5 mm and 40 mm, and more particularly by a distance equal toabout 21 mm. The shaft 350 of each post 140 has a diameter sufficient toperform its structural function, as described in more detail below,which will depend upon the material chosen for the base 130 and shafts350. The illustrated posts comprise a polymer plastic material, with adiameter between 0.5 mm and 3 mm and particularly about 2 mm. Alldimensions included herein are for illustration purposes only and arenot intended to limit the disclosure to the particular dimensionsrecited.

At least one protrusion 360 extends radially away from the center of theshaft 350. In the illustrated device, the protrusion comprises anenlarged tip or head 370 at the transversely distal end of the shaft350. As best seen in FIG. 6D, at least a portion of the head 370 of eachpost 140 is larger than the diameter of the shaft 350, preferably havinga maximum diameter of 1.1 to 1.5 times the diameter of the shaft. In theillustrated device, the head 370 has a generally blunt truncated conicalshape with a smooth surface and a maximum diameter at an overhanginglower surface or underside. It will be understood, however, that thehead can take a variety of other shapes, such as for example, ahemisphere, a cone, an arrowhead, a barbed shape, a “mushroom” head, andsuch other types of radially projecting structures. A relatively bluntend of the head 370 is preferred to avoid snagging on materials such asa health care provider's latex gloves or sheets on the patient's bed. Aslot (not shown in the illustrated device) can also be formed in thehead of the post 140 in order to allow a space for the sides of the head370 of the post to flex inwardly when subject to compression and improvethe flexibility of the head 370 of the post 140.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that in some applications theposts 140 can differ from each another in size, shape and configuration.For example, the posts 140 could be constructed to have differentheights from one another, or to have different diameters. In addition,the posts 140 could each have different shaped or sized heads 370, asdiscussed above. Furthermore, if more than two posts are used, a similarsize or shape might be shared between two posts, but not by theremaining posts. For instance, a securement device in accordance withthe current invention might have one short, thin post with a mushroomhead, one tall, thin post with an arrow-shaped head, and one tall, thickpost with a conical head having a slot.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the base 130 of the securement device of FIG. 1and shows the protrusion of the head 370 extends to the same extentaround the circumference of each post 140. It should be noted that theprotrusion need not extend in the same manner, or to the same extent,around the entire circumference of the post. For instance, in theillustrated securement device (shown most clearly in FIG. 6C), theprotrusion extends in the lateral directions from each post 140, but notsignificantly in the longitudinal directions. As can be seen in theFIGURE, the protrusions of the head 370 are seen to not extend from thepost in the longitudinal directions.

It should also be noted that the size of the protrusions of the posts140 need not be larger than the size of the openings in the retainedmedical article or fitting. The medical article need not be snug againstthe post 140 or protrusion when the posts are inserted through theopenings of the medical article or fitting. In many applications, itwill be preferable for the medical article to not have any contact orinterference with the post 140; the medical article is simply slippedover the posts. However, if there is contact or interference between thepost 140 or protrusion and the medical article, the securement devicecan still operate in substantially the same manner. It may, however, benecessary for greater care to be taken when pressing the medical articleover the posts of the device.

Cap

A cover or cap 150 for each post 140 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 5,6, 6B and 6E. Each cap 150 is designed to be capable of being placedover the protrusion on the head 370 of one of the posts 140, and thensnapped into position on top of the post 140. As shown most clearly inFIG. 6B, the cap in the illustrated embodiment has a generally hollowcylindrical shape, with an inner recess 400 that has an opening at thebase of the cap 150 which exposes the recess 400. The opening isnarrower than the recess 400 inside the cap, creating a collar 420 atthe opening. In this way, when a cap 150 is pressed down over one of theposts 140, the head 370 of the post will tend to expand the opening ofthe cap 150 as it moves past the collar 420. Alternatively depending onthe relative stiffness of the materials out of which the post 140 andcap 150 are constructed, the head 370 of the post 140 may flex inwardlyor deform in order to fit through the collar 420 of the cap 150. Thiscan be facilitated by using a post design that includes a slot, asdescribed above, to allow more flexibility in the head 370 of the post140.

Once the head 370 is received within the recess 400 inside the cap 150,the collar 420 can relax toward its original size. When the cap 150 isdisposed over the head 370 of the post 140 such that the head 370 iswithin the recess 400 of the cap 150, the cap and post are said to be ina covered configuration. When the head 370 of the post 140 is exposed,i.e., when the head 370 is not within the recess 400 of the cap 150, thecap and post are said to be in an uncovered configuration. Becauseremoving the head 370 of the post 140 from the cap 150 will requireforcing the head 370 back through the collar 420 of the cap 150, the capwill tend to remain in a covered configuration upon the post 140 unlesspurposefully removed.

It should also be noted that the outer dimension of the cap 150,identified as dimension “D” in FIG. 6E, is preferably larger than thesize of the openings of the medical article or fitting to be secured.This allows the cap 150, once snapped over the posts 140 into thecovered configuration, to inhibit any motion of the medical article inthe transverse direction that would allow the post to be removed fromthe opening of the medical article. The cap 150 can also include afinger tab 440 or other extension to simplify removal of the cap 150from the posts 140 by a medical practitioner to re-establish theuncovered configuration. As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 6E,the tab 440 can extend from the lower portion of the cap 150 away fromthe center of the cap. The tab 440 preferably extends far enough that amedical practitioner can easily press upward upon the tab 440 in orderto snap the cap 150 off of the head 370 of the post 140.

The cap 150 can preferably be made from a material which is at leastslightly flexible in order to accommodate the necessary bending,stretching or other deformation which will be required to pass the head370 or other protrusion through the collar 420. However, the materialshould also be sufficiently elastic to return towards its originalconfiguration once the head 370 of the post 140 is within the recess400. In an alternate application, the cap 150 can be made from asubstantially rigid material, and the post 140, or at least the head 370of the post, can be constructed from a material which is appropriatelyflexible and elastic.

As illustrated in the figures, each cap 150 can be attached to the base130 in order to prevent the inadvertent loss of the caps 150. This canbe accomplished by the use of a flexible coupling, such as a leash 160,shown most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 6A. The leash 160 can take any numberof forms to mechanically connect the cap 150 to the base 130 of theretainer 120 while permitting movement of the cap 150 relative to thepost 140 for engagement and disengagement of the cap upon the post.

In the illustrated embodiment, the leash 160 comprises a band offlexible material. The leash preferably is integrally molded with thebase 130 and the cap 150. The illustrated leash has a width of about 0.5mm to 5 mm, preferably about 1.5 mm, and a thickness of about 0.5 to 1mm. The length of the leash depends in part upon the height of the post140. Preferably, the leash 160 is longer than the height of the post140, to allow some leeway in engaging or disengaging the cap 150 withthe post, as will be understood by one of skill in the art in view ofthe disclosure herein. While the leash preferably is generally oblong orrectangular in cross-section, as illustrated, it will be understood thatthe leash can also have other shapes, e.g., a string-like or roundedconfiguration. It is also possible that a leash 160 made from a separatematerial which is then attached to the cap 150 and base 130 can be used.

Operation

In use, a medical practitioner can secure a medical article, such as acatheter, or the fitting of a medical article, to a patient using theabove-described securement device 100, or a readily apparentmodification thereof. The medical attendant first removes the caps 150from the heads 370 of the posts 140 (if not already done) so as toexpose the shaft 350 of each post in the uncovered configuration. Oncethe posts 140 are uncovered, a catheter or other medical article can betransversely aligned over the base 130. If the medical article includesholes or other openings, these can be slid, pressed or snapped onto theposts 140, as appropriate. If the size of the holes in the medicalarticle is such that they are smaller than the diameter of the head 370or other protrusion of the post 140, this will create an arrangementwhereby the medical article, once snapped over the head 370 of the post140, will remain upon the post 140 until removed.

Once the medical article or fitting is in position upon the posts 140 ofthe device 100, the caps 150 can be placed over the heads 370 of theposts 140 and snapped into the covered configuration. The caps 150 areheld in position on the posts 140 by the head 370 pressing past thecollar 420 of the cap 150. By snapping the caps 150 over the posts 140,the fitting or medical article is inhibited from slipping off of the topof the posts 140. In this way, the medical article is secured upon thedevice in the transverse direction. Although the medical article is nowsecured in the transverse, lateral and longitudinal directions upon thesecurement device 100, there may be some range of motion available ineach of these directions, particularly if the holes of the medicalarticle are larger than the size of the shaft 350 of the posts 140. Itwill be understood by those of skill in the art that this small amountof free play will not compromise the releasable securement function ofthe device.

The device can then be positioned over the skin of the patient, and thepull tab of the liner used to remove the liner from a portion of theanchor pad. With the lower adhesive surface of the anchor pad exposed,it can be placed upon the skin of the patient at the appropriatelocation. The remainder of the liner can then be removed and the anchorpad fully placed upon the patient.

It should be noted that in many applications, it can be preferable toplace the anchor pad upon the skin of the patient before attaching themedical article to the base of the device. This may depend upon whetherthe medical article is already fixed in relation to the patient (e.g.,if an IV line is already inserted into the vein of a patient), orwhether the medical article is still free to be repositioned.

If the need arises to remove the medical article from the patient, thecaps 150 can be snapped off of the heads 370 of the posts 140 toestablish the uncovered configuration, and the medical article orfitting removed from the posts 140. This can be preferable in order tochange the retaining device, reposition the medical article, change themedical article, or simply to clean the area where the device issecured. The releasable nature of the caps over the posts makes itpossible to secure and release the medical article or fitting from thedevice repeatedly, without the need for sutures or tape.

The securement devices, techniques for use, and variations in each thatare described above thus provide a number of ways to provide safe andreleasable securement for medical articles to the skin of a patient. Inaddition, the techniques described may be broadly applied for use with avariety of medical lines and medical procedures.

Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all suchobjectives or advantages may be achieved in accordance with anyparticular embodiment using the devices or techniques described herein.Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that thedevices may be developed in a manner that achieves or optimizes oneadvantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarilyachieving other objectives or advantages as may be taught or suggestedherein.

Furthermore, the skilled artisan will recognize the interchangeabilityof various features from different embodiments. For example, variationsin the design of the head of the posts that result in a more flexiblehead (e.g., the use of a slot on the post) may be combined with systemsin which the caps are attached to the base of the retainer by aseparate, rather than integral, leash. These various aspects of thedevice design, as well as other known equivalents for any of thedescribed features, can be mixed and matched by one of ordinary skill inthis art to produce securement devices and techniques in accordance withprinciples of the system described herein.

Although these techniques and systems have been disclosed in the contextof certain embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that these techniques and systems may be extendedbeyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternativeembodiments and/or uses and obvious modifications and equivalentsthereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the systems disclosedherein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosedembodiments described above, but should be determined only by the scopeof the claims that follow.

1. A method for securing a medical article to a patient comprising:adhering a base to a patient's skin, the base supporting a plurality ofupwardly extending posts, each post having a head disposed near aterminal end of the post, each head defining an overhang surface;positioning the medical article on the base between the plurality ofupwardly extending posts such that at least a portion of the medicalarticle lies below the overhang surfaces of the posts; securing themedical article to the base by expanding a plurality of openings aboutthe heads of the plurality of upwardly extending posts; passing theheads of the plurality of posts through the corresponding openings; andrelaxing each expanded opening about the corresponding post such thatthe relaxed opening lies between the respective overhang surface of eachhead and the base, whereby the overhang surface inhibits thecorresponding head from inadvertently passing back through the opening.2. The method of claim 1 further comprising positioning a cap above thehead, the opening being part of the cap.
 3. The method of claim 2further comprising bending a flexible connection to position the capabove the head, the flexible connection coupling the cap to the base. 4.The method of claim 2 further comprising positioning at least a portionof the post into a recess in the corresponding cap, the opening definingan entrance to the recess.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprisingpositioning a plurality of caps above the heads of the plurality ofupwardly extending posts, the openings being formed in separate caps. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the medical article on thebase comprises placing the medical article between four posts spaced onthe base at four corners of a rectangle.
 7. The method of claim 1further comprising inserting the posts through a plurality of holes inthe medical article, the plurality of holes being disposed to thelateral sides of the medical article.